Feedback Matrix

Using Feedback Constructively

Susanne: Hi, thanks for meeting with me today. As I
mentioned, I wanted to talk with you about the construction plan
you submitted yesterday. As usual, the quality of the plan was
great. You definitely know what's expected by us and our client, so
I want to thank you for that.

Charles: Thanks, it's great to hear feedback like
that.

Susanne: Well, I'm glad you feel that way. What I'm a bit
more concerned about, though, are the deadlines. You know that we
build in extra time between when you submit the plans to us and
when we actually present them to the client. However, I see that
you often take advantage of that extra time, and you delay
submitting your plans – they're sometimes up to a week late.
This creates a bottleneck at the engineering approval stage, and
I'm starting to hear about it. What can I do to get you back on
track, so we return to the more efficient process we had
before?

Charles: I'm really sorry. I've been stressed at home
lately, and it doesn't help that Les, the new guy, comes to me with
questions all the time. Can you give me a week to focus on
finishing the plan I'm working on now? With fewer distractions and
some time to work out my problems, I know I'll get back on
schedule.

Susanne: That's seems reasonable. Thank you for being
honest. I'll tell Les to ask Madeline for advice and suggestions
for now. Let's get together in a few days to discuss your
progress.

This sounds like a "textbook" feedback exchange – just how
it's supposed to happen. Susanne expressed her concern, Charles
accepted the feedback, they agreed upon a solution, and they have a
date for follow-up.

However, while it seems ideal, we don't know how well it
actually worked. And if the results of many feedback sessions are
any indication, there may be less positive change than we would
hope.

Have you ever been part of a conversation like that? Chances are
that you've observed that people (possibly yourself!) do one of two
things when receiving feedback: